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It’s looking more than more like Steelers tight end Heath Miller will play this week, as he ramped up his practice schedule even more Thursday. Miller stayed after and did some one-on-one hitting with defensive linemen and linebackers.

“It’s always great to see Heath,” Haley said. “So, I’m just happy he’s continuing to make progress, and we’re seeing him more and more. So, that’s a good thing. … He really can make a different out there.”

Miller has not changed his tune since the season began.

“It feels pretty good, but I have no idea when I’ll be back,” Miller said. “I’ll just keep working hard and see what happens when we get through the end of the week. We’ll talk about it, and then the coaches will decide if I’m going to play.”

Bell Ringing Louder

Steelers second-round pick Le’Veon Bell was a full participant in practice Thursday for the first time since suffering a right mid-foot sprain in a preseason game Aug. 19 at Washington.

“It’ll be a little sore after all the running around that I do, but it’s stuff that I can do,” Bell said. “I try to push through it, because the next day it will be a little easier to do the things that I did the previous day. I just want to keep moving forward and make sure I don’t take a step backward.”

Practice Report

Cornerback Cortez Allen (ankle) did not practice for the second straight day, but he was the only Steelers player to sit out Thursday’s workout. Outside linebacker Jarvis Jones (heel) was limited for a second straight day, but Bell was joined as a full-time participant by Miller (knee), cornerback Curtis Brown (illness), defensive end Brett Keisel (calf) and nose tackle Steve McLendon (hamstring).

About The Author

Dale Grdnic

TIOPS Steelers Beat Writer

Dale Grdnic is a contributor to Inside Pittsburgh Sports, covering the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pitt Football. Dale has covered the Pittsburgh Sports scene for over 15 years with various publications

Trade Buzz: Thursday’s 1-for-1 trade of young underperforming players saw the Minnesota Wild acquire center Victor Rask from the Carolina Hurricanes for left winger Nino Niederreiter. Carolina did an excellent job of being able to get out of the Rask contract, who has three years remaining with a $4 million cap hit. Rask has 1 goal, 5 assists on the season, mirrored in a 22-game goal drought. The logic here for Minnesota is taking the chance on a playmaking center who can help fill a top-9 spot longer term if the Wild move on from Eric Staal. Minnesota is also playing the card that a change of scenery will benefit the 24-year old who posted a career-high 21 goals, 48 points in 2015-2016.

Niederreiter’s trade value was stunted because of his contract, where he has three years left on his deal with a $5.25 million cap hit. Niederreiter is a player who is extremely hard to play against, drives possession well, and has three 20 goal seasons over his last four full seasons. Injuries (18 goals in 63 games) kept him from a 4th straight 20-goal season in 17-18. The Niederreiter acquisition also sets up as great insurance for the Hurricanes if they can’t resign Micheal Ferland. In the short-term, Carolina’s center situation is a mess with Jordan Staal sidelined with a concussion, but they’re getting the better player who fits the identity they’re trying to establish upfront, especially on the wings where they’ve identified the need for Patric Hornqvist type players.